Letter: Davis County refineries cause poor air quality

Published: Tuesday, May 29 2012 12:00 a.m. MDT

My pediatrician told me it's not a surprise, as Davis County has the worst air quality, when I asked why my son's asthma was getting worse. How could that be? I just relocated my whole family from California to Centerville, hoping for a pristine and better lifestyle for my son.

He has to carry his inhaler everywhere in case he has short breath and tightness in the chest. I always worry if he'll be fine, especially during the winter inversions and smoggy days. My husband and I were also advised by the doctor to start medications because we've been developing Asthma over the past few years.

How can anyone say those refineries in Davis County are fine and want them to expand? My pediatrician said he has some asthma patients who live on oxygen that can actually be off the equipment when they travel outside Utah. Asthma is not the only disease impacted by the poor air quality. How many more people, including babies, have to continuously suffer from these man-made pollutions if we don't say and do something now?